Monday, March 4, 2013

Did You Know?

It is indeed, and it's brought to us by Grammar Girl, the site with writerly goodies galore. Grammar Girl says, "It's not only a date, it's an imperative: March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!"What's so great about grammar? Well, quirky rules and all, grammar enables us to communicate well. What kind of writers would we be without a few guidelines to keep us in line, you know?

Take prepositions, for instance. We know that prepositions illustrate relationships, like so:

The box is under the table.

Now we know where the box is. Simple stuff, right? But have you heard about double prepositions? They aren't needed often, but in the right place, they work, like so:

She came out of the cave.

The mouse emerged from under the dresser.

Sometimes though, when two or more prepositions are used, they create unnecessary clutter. Consider the following:

It's hard to believe that it's been four years since I started blogging. It's been a great ride! Thanks to all of you for helping me on this journey. To celebrate, I am giving away several goodies this month.

Deadline to enter is midnight EST Friday, March 8, 2013.
Winner will bechosen by random.org, notified via email, and will have 36 hours to
respond or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be
announced Monday, March 11, 2013.

I think I'm usually pretty good with my grammar--at least she used to think so when she was alive. Okay, bad joke.

But seriously, I can almost defend a couple of the examples you cite:

"Looked over at" makes me see an action in progress of averting one's attention to another thing, whereas "looked at" seems to be more static such as a stare.

Likewise, "sat down under" seems like it could contain an action such as people looking around for a place to sit and choosing to sit under the canopy as opposed to under the umbrella or inside the lounge. In this phrase they are in the act of having made a choice where to sit down and it happened to be under the canopy. If they "sat under the canopy" they could have been already sitting there for a while and the phrase does not connote overt action.

I know, I know--as usual I'm reading too much into things and a lot would have to do with the context of the sentence. I'm just trying to be controversial I guess.

Susie,Thank you! LOL, yes, I have my share of peeves too, and mistakes! :) Got you down on the list!

Lee,Actually, you make good points here. I agree, it depends on the context, and may come down to editor preference as well. The instances I've run up against, in my students' and my own writing, are places that are safely trimmed. Thanks for chiming in!

One of the best things a teacher did for me was insist I (and the rest of the class) memorize every preposition. That was in the 8th grade (a kajillion years ago) and I can still recite all 72 basic prepositions in alphabetical order. That memorization alone improved my grammar skills. I will be forever grateful to Ms. McInerny!

Oh, dear, I missed National Grammar Day? Well, my writers' group met this morning and we had quite a discussion about grammar as we critiqued each other's work, so I guess we celebrated one day late :-) Great post, Karen. Always in need of a refresher course...

When I finish a chapter, I always go back and cut the second preposition. Every single time. I think it's because I don't want to write like I talk. In fact, one of my English professors at SFU mentioned that very thing and congratulated me. Haha. In truth she was shocked that I didn't write like I talk because that's what she was expecting.

Happy Blogsversary, blogging takes commitment and four years is an accomplishment. I'm peeved by people who don't edit their instant messages on whatever social network. Short messages should should not be exempt from good grammar.

I can't say that I've ever heard of National Grammar Day, but I love the quote that goes with it, "It's not only a date, it's an imperative: March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!"

Congratulations on your anniversary!! I'm so glad somewhere in those 4 years our paths crossed. I'm blessed each time I visit your blog and look forward to many more years of great tips and writerly wisdom. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the celebrations, LoveDotti :)

Words to Live By

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, an online writing instructor, and the author of Write for Life and Homeschool Co-ops 101. My current WIP is a series of writing lessons for teens.
I am a follower of Christ and am happily married to Jeff. We have two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. I like to read, write, walk, and spend time with family. My posts appear on Mondays, but I often post a random thought or notice in between. Thanks for coming by!